Increased Demand for Fiber Optic Cable has Created a Global Shortage

There is a global shortage/crisis of Fiber Optic Cable. Prices have increased, and unreliable lead times have endangered plans to implement state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure, especially in rural communities.

With streaming TV, online gaming, work-at-home Zoom meetings, 8K televisions, and the ever-increasing technology-driven home, consumers are demanding faster internet to accommodate all their technology needs. Unfortunately, much of the country, and the world, is not wired to accommodate the speeds required to support today’s digital age.

In the United States, government funding significantly increased during the pandemic. A large amount of this funding was geared toward increasing Internet and data services speeds, especially in those areas with limited access. Our government has set ambitious targets for the rollout of superfast broadband and 5G, which require vast quantities of fiber-optic cable. In addition, companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and Meta are expanding their data centers and laying vast amounts of fiber networks under the ocean.